Japanese Knotweed. www.news.bbc.co.uk

A tiny Japanese insect that could help the fight against an aggressive superweed has been given the go-ahead for a trial release in England.

Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK it has rapidly spread, and the plant currently costs over £150m a year to control and clear.

But scientists say a natural predator in the weed's native home of Japan could also help to control it here.

The insect will initially be released in a handful of sites this spring.

This is the first time that biocontrol - the use of a "natural predator" to control a pest - has been used in the EU to fight a weed.

Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: "These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant."

Alien invaders

Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK by the Victorians as an ornamental plant, but it soon escaped from gardens and began its rampant spread throughout the UK.

It grows incredibly quickly - more than one metre a month - and rapidly swamps any other vegetation in its path.

It is so hardy that it can burst through tarmac and concrete, causing costly damage to pavements, roads and buildings.




Green Room: Hailing the arrival of alien predators
But removal is difficult and expensive; new estimates suggest it costs the UK economy £150m a year.

However, in Japan, the plant is common but does not rage out of control like it does in the UK, thanks to the natural predators that keep it in check.

Scientists at Cabi - a not-for-profit agricultural research organisation - used this as their starting point to track down a potential knotweed solution.

They looked at the superweed's natural predators - nearly 200 species of plant-eating insects and about 40 species of fungi - with the aim of finding one with an appetite for Japanese knotweed and little else.

After testing their candidates on 90 different UK plant species, including plants closely related to Japanese knotweed such as bindweeds and important crops and ornamental species, they discovered a psyllid called Aphalara itadori was the best control agent.

The little insect feeds on the sap of the superweed, stunting its growth.

Dr Dick Shaw, the lead researcher on the project from Cabi, told BBC News: "Safety is our top priority. We are lucky that we do have an extremely specific agent - it just eats invasive knotweeds."


This timelapse footage shows Japanese knotweed growing more than 1m-tall (3ft) in just three weeks

Following peer review by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and a public consultation, the UK government has now given the go-ahead for release of Aphalara itadori, under licence, in England.

The Welsh Assembly is expected to announce its decision on the psyllid soon.

The insects will initially be released on a handful of sites.


These will be isolated and, in addition to as having the superweed present, will also have UK species that are closely related to Japanese knotweed planted there to check that the psyllid only targets the invasive species.

Dr Shaw said: "In the early stages, a contingency plan is in place so that should, in the unlikely event, any unintended consequences be detected, we will be able to do something about it.

"Insecticide and herbicide treatment will be on standby for rapid response."

If this phase is successful, the insect will be released at further sites, where it will undergo an intensive monitoring programme over the next five years.

Dr Shaw said: "On the localised sites, I would expect to see damaged knotweed this season.

"However, biocontrol is a long-term strategy - it could take five to 10 years to have a real impact."

The government believes that if the plan is successful it will reduce the costs to the building and engineering industries of clearing the plant.

However, some critics say that it is impossible to be certain that the Japanese insect will only target the superweed and could attack other species once in the wild.


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Is there Japanese Knotweed growing in your area? Has it caused damage? Should we use insects to control it? Send us your comments and your pictures of Japanese knotweed.

Aquarium Corals, Eric H. Borneman 2001, T.F.H publications, Inc, ISBN 1-890087-47-5

Borneman is an aquarist and researcher and has written periodicals, books, and speaks frequently at aquarist and scientific conferences. Aquarium Corals is seen to be one of the definitive guides to coral husbandry amongst peers, scientists and hobbyists alike.

Although entitled “Aquarium” the book is far from just a guide to keeping corals in the home. It includes taxonomic identification (scientific and general) of pretty much every coral in known existence, with each species natural and captive requirements. It informs the reader on water chemistry around the world, history, conservation, diseases, breeding and propagation, feeding, light waves, how to set up a captive system from start to finish, and is full of detailed scientific information on coral make up from polyp structure to the microscopic level of zooxanthellae. If you need to know anything about corals I can pretty much guarantee the information you require will be in this book. To coincide with all this information are hundreds of high quality images capturing the essence of the reef and its individual inhabitants.

Aquarium Corals has been one of my main sources of information on corals and reef systems. Throughout my coral keeping period this book proved to be invaluable. As far as relating to my practice, it has provided me with the insight to just how complex and fragile our reefs are. It seems to me plainly obvious the huge effects climate change will have, this book points out that even the smallest fluctuations in aquarium stability will have fairly disastrous effects, let alone on a whole ocean. However the conservation chapter in this book is sparse, and doesn’t contain the information I would like to see on the effects of climate change on the reef. It does go into diseases, but doesn’t directly relate the two like other sources have, perhaps due to the date of publication and reluctance to acknowledge global warming in America.

Artful Ecologies, Art Nature and Environment Conference 2006, RANE research cluster and University College Falmouth, Edited Daro Montag, 2008

Susan Boafo "Speaking With The Sun"

Artful Ecologies is a publication to coincide with the RANE (research in art, nature and environment) conference Artful Ecologies held in Falmouth, Cornwall 2006 led by Daro Montag. The conference was held to look at the global crisis we face as a result of climate change, and the role of the artist within the subject. The book includes a collection of papers submitted by speakers, and accounts of work produced by artists, largely in the local environment.

Speakers included Tim Collins, Reiko Goto, John K. Grande, Stacy Levy, F. David Peat, Alan Sonfist, George Steinmann and Suzi Gablik who was unable to attend but provided a paper for the conference. Each of the speakers contributed views on art into today’s society, focusing on our environment, and delving into the subjects of spirituality, symbolism and the world of the transdiscipinary.

Artists include Stephen Turner, Jane Atkinson, Susan Boafo, Georg Dietzler, Martin Prothero, Dave Pritchard, Stacy Righton, Andy Webster, Jon Bird and Kerry Morrison. Similarly the work produced comes from the transdicsiplinarity and multidisciplinary of art, science and nature. Processes vary from data collection of geology and water properties, through to natural phenomenon and electro chemistry, each producing visual interpritations from the information gathered.

My own practice is currently residing in the transdisciplinary of art nature and science. This book is of particular interest to me, giving an insight into practises and processes used by artists working within my field. It also provides a range of areas for further research and artists to look at.